“Ohtani, that’s not the kind of player you usually are…” Manager fuming over unfair strikeout, ejected after fierce protest
Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin (52) was furious after a balk call against Shohei Ohtani (29). He was ejected after a heated appeal to the umpire.
Ohtani hit his 18th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the third inning, while batting second in the lineup against the Seattle Mariners at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, U.S., on Nov. 11.
With five home runs in his last 10 games, he is one behind American League (AL) leader Aaron Judge (New York Yankees, 19) in that category. Ohtani is poised to overtake him while Jersey is on the disabled list after injuring his toe while fielding against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 3.
But the joy of the home run was outweighed by the frustration of the umpire’s call. In the fifth inning, with the Angels trailing 5-2, Ohtani was caught with runners on second and third. Seattle pulled starter Brian Wu, who had allowed two runs in 4⅔ innings and was one out shy of the win requirement, and brought up left-hander Gabe Spier.스포츠토토
On a full count, Ohtani fouled off six or seven pitches in a row to extend the game to eight pitches. Spier’s eighth pitch, an 84.2-mph slider, came in low and appeared to be out of the zone. Thinking it was a grounder, Ohtani tried to walk to first base, but umpire Phil Couch called it a strike and he was thrown out at the plate.
[Photo] Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to the umpire’s strike call. ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
The inning ended in a blur. Ohtani raised his right hand to express his disappointment to umpire Kuchi. He then shook his head and made an expression of incomprehension. An uncharacteristic display of emotion.
Manager Nevin Ainge, who was also in the dugout, immediately jumped up and appealed to Kuchi. He showed his displeasure by roughly sweeping his hand across the home plate dirt, and was eventually ejected. The Angels’ home fans booed. The Angels blew five chances and fell to 2-6, ending their recent five-game winning streak.
According to local media, including MLB.com, Nevin said after the game, “You can’t see exactly where you are in the dugout, but you can tell by the players’ reactions. I don’t usually see Ohtani show that kind of emotion.” “I didn’t want him to get ejected. It’s okay for me to get sent out. That’s why I appealed. I had a good conversation with the referee,” he said with a smile.
